In February 1968, then 33-year old Lieutenant Colonel Glenn Carr—who served in the 213th Assault support helicopter company in Phu Loi (about 15 miles north of Saigon, Vietnam)—was approached by a Fire Brigade Commander to provide helicopter wildfire support in nearby Cho Lon.

Thinking on their feet, Glenn said his unit confiscated a grain bin that was 8′ diameter by 12′ tall and carried 800-900 gallons of water. The bin was then rigged with a valve using helicopter hydraulics. They slung it down the Saigon River and made several successful water drops to help extinguish the fires. On a side note, Glenn did not fly the mission but helped build the bucket.

The Commander said the bin worked well but washed the neighboring huts away. Glenn called on an engineer who built their quarters who suggested a 16″ square air conditioner grill they welded onto the bottom. The result was a water diffuser that allowed the bucket to effectively slow the spread of fires without washing away huts.

Today, retired 84-year old Glenn is aware that Bambi Bucket began its successful commercial production in the early 1980s, but he’s wondering if his team’s effort could have produced the first ad hoc water bucket in the country of Vietnam? Only time will tell—but his efforts was certainly a great example of field engineering.

(From bambibucket.com)